Published: May 07, 2008 10:26 am            

Anderson takes over Lady Bulldogs

First-year head coach ready to install system

EMPIRE — The Empire Lady Bulldogs’ basketball team will have a new skipper once next season starts.

Daniel Anderson takes over an Empire program that went 15-9 last season and made the regional tournament. The EHS job will be Anderson’s first as a head coach at the high school level after coaching Tishomingo’s middle school girls last season. Anderson was also assistant baseball coach for Tishomingo High.

Anderson said that once he saw the vacancy at EHS, he jumped on the opportunity.

“The chance to be a head coach at the high school level is a dream of mine, and once I talked to Coach (Rodney) Strutton, I knew I would come into a great situation,” Anderson said. “Coach Strutton did a fantastic job and the girls have been coached well, so I’m excited to get going.”

Anderson played at Amber-Pocasset under former Rush Springs and current Edmond North head coach Jeff Tompkins. Anderson credits this year’s Duncan Banner Co-Coach of the Year with shaping his basketball mentality.

“He (Tompkins) opened my eyes to a whole new level of intensity,” Anderson said. “He was able to push anyone he had on the team, from the least talented to the most. He got the best out of the players, and he got the best out of me.”

The Lady Bulldogs lose their top two scorers in Morgan Sellers and Natalie Whitt, but Anderson said he wants to use Year 1 to build a familiarity with his system.

“I want them to get a grip on our style of defense, most importantly,” Anderson said. “I want them to execute pressure man-to-man. Also, if I draw a play up in the fourth quarter, they should be able to go out and run it.”

Anderson also noted that he wants the team to form a tight bond in his first year at the helm.

With the loss of key seniors, Anderson is cautious on putting a number on wins.

“I haven’t seen the girls play yet, so I’m really not sure what we have, what positions are strong and so on,” Anderson said. “Instead of setting a goal on wins, I want the team to have progressed by the end of the season.

“If everyone reaches their potential, then I will be happy.”

        

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